A Ryanair flight operated by Malta Air experienced a critical engine failure during a trip from Thessaloniki to Memmingen. Debris from the engine breach shattered a passenger window, causing a decompression event that partially sucked a male passenger's head and shoulders outside the aircraft. The crew deployed oxygen masks and declared an emergency as the plane reached an altitude of 16,000 feet.

Pilots managed the descent by burning excess fuel to prevent an overweight landing, returning to Thessaloniki 45 minutes after the failure. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 with registration 9H-QEU, landed safely at 7:08 AM. The incident mirrors a 2018 Southwest Airlines failure where similar engine debris caused a fatal window breach.

This event highlights the risk of uncontained engine failures, where high-velocity fragments can penetrate the pressurized fuselage. The necessity of fuel dumping or burning before emergency landings is a standard safety protocol to reduce landing weight and minimize structural stress on the airframe during an unplanned return.